SUBPENA, DISCOVERY AND DEPOSITION SEC. 11. [41 U.S.C. 610] A member of an agency board of contract appeals may administer oaths to witnesses, authorize depositions and discovery proceedings, and require by subpena the attendance of witnesses, and production of books and papers, for the taking of testimony or evidence by deposition or in the hearing of an appeal by the agency board. In case of contumacy or refusal to obey a subpena by a person who resides, is found, or transacts business within the jurisdiction of a United States district court, the court, upon application of the agency board through the Attorney General; or upon application by the board of contract appeals of the Tennessee Valley Authority, shall have jurisdiction to issue the person an order requiring him to appear before the agency board or a member thereof, to produce evidence or to give testimony, or both. Any failure of any such person to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt thereof. INTEREST SEC. 12. [41 U.S.C. 611] Interest on amounts found due contractors on claims shall be paid to the contractor from the date the contracting officer receives the claim pursuant to section 6(a) from the contractor until payment thereof. The interest provided for in this section shall be paid at the rate established by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to Public Law 92-41 (85 Stat. 97) for the Renegotiation Board. 8 APPROPRIATIONS SEC. 13. [41 U.S.C. 612] (a) Any judgment against the United States on a claim under this Act shall be paid promptly in accordance with the procedures provided by section 1302 of the Act of July 27, 1956, (70 Stat. 694, as amended; 31 U.S.C. 724a).9 (b) Any monetary award to a contractor by an agency board of contract appeals shall be paid promptly in accordance with the procedures contained in subsection (a) above. (c) Payments made pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) shall be reimbursed to the fund provided by section 1302 of the Act of July 27, 1956, (70 Stat. 694, as amended; 31 U.S.C 724a) by the agency whose appropriations were used for the contract out of available funds or by obtaining additional appropriations for such purposes. (d)(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) through (c), any judgment against the Tennessee Valley Authority on a claim under this Act shall be paid promptly in accordance with the provisions of section 9(b) of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 (16 U.S.C. 831(h)). 10 (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) through (c), any monetary award to a contractor by the board of contract Section 907(a)(3) of Public Law 102-572 provides: (3) If any interest is due under section 12 of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 on a claim for which the certification under section 6(c)(1) is, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [October 29, 1992), found to be defective shall be paid from the later of the date on which the contracting officer initially received the claim or the date of the enactment of this Act [October 29, 1992]. The section referred to by section 13(a) is now section 1304 of title 31, United States Code. 10 So in law. The citation in section 13(d)(1) should be 16 U.S.C. 831h(b). appeals for the Tennessee Valley Authority shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of section 9(b) of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 (16 U.S.C. 831(h)). SEC. 14. (a) * AMENDMENTS AND REPEALS SEVERABILITY CLAUSE SEC. 15. [41 U.S.C. 613] If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any persons or circumstances, is held invalid, the remainder of this Act, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby. EFFECTIVE DATE OF ACT SEC. 16. [41 U.S.C. 601 note] This Act shall apply to contracts entered into one hundred twenty days after the date of enactment [Nov. 1, 1978]. Notwithstanding any provision in a contract made before the effective date of this Act, the contractor may elect to proceed under this Act with respect to any claim pending then before the contracting officer or initiated thereafter. Public Law 85-804 AN ACT To authorize the making, amendment, and modification of contracts to facilitate the national defense Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That [50 U.S.C. 1431] the President may authorize any department or agency of the Government which exercises functions in connection with the national defense, acting in accordance with regulations prescribed by the President for the protection of the Government, to enter into contracts or into amendments or modifications of contracts heretofore or hereafter made and to make advance payments thereon, without regard to other provisions of law relating to the making, performance, amendment, or modification of contracts, whenever he deems that such action would facilitate the national defense. The authority conferred by this section shall not be utilized to obligate the United States in an amount in excess of $50,000 without approval by an official at or above the level of an Assistant Secretary or his Deputy, or an assistant head or his deputy, of such department or agency, or by a Contract Adjustment Board established therein. The authority conferred by this section may not be utilized to obligate the United States in any amount in excess of $25,000,000 unless the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives have been notified in writing of such proposed obligation and 60 days of continuous session of Congress have expired following the date on which such notice was transmitted to such Committees. For purposes of this section, the continuity of a session of Congress is broken only by an adjournment of the Congress sine die at the end of a Congress, and the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than 3 days to a day certain, or because of an adjournment sine die other than at the end of a Congress, are excluded in the computation of such 60-day period. SEC. 2. [50 U.S.C. 1432] Nothing in this Act shall be construed to constitute authorization hereunder for (a) the use of the cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost system of contracting; (b) any contract in violation of existing law relating to limitation of profits; (c) the negotiation of purchases of or contracts for property or services required by law to be procured by formal advertising and competitive bidding; (d) the waiver of any bid, payment, performance, or other bond required by law; (e) the amendment of a contract negotiated under section 2304(a)(15), title 10, United States Code, or under section 302(c)(13) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 377, 394), to increase the contract price to an amount higher than the lowest rejected bid of any responsible bidder; or (f) the formalization of an informal commitment, unless it is found that at the time the commitment was made it was impracticable to use normal procurement procedures. SEC. 3. [50 U.S.C. 1433] (a) All actions under the authority of this Act shall be made a matter of public record under regulations prescribed by the President and when deemed by him not to be detrimental to the national security. (b) All contracts entered into, amended, or modified pursuant to authority contained in this Act shall include a clause to the effect that the Comptroller General of the United States or any of his duly authorized representatives shall, until the expiration of three years after final payment, have access to and the right to examine any directly pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the contractor or any of his subcontractors engaged in the performance of and involving transactions related to such contracts or subcontracts. Under regulations to be prescribed by the President, however, such clause may be omitted from contracts with foreign contractors or foreign subcontractors if the agency head determines, with the concurrence of the Comptroller General of the United States or his designee, that the omission will serve the best interests of the United States. However, the concurrence of the Comptroller General of the United States or his designee is not required for the omission of such clause (1) where the contractor or subcontractor is a foreign government or agency thereof or is precluded by the laws of the country involved from making its books, documents, papers, or records available for examination; and (2) where the agency head determines, after taking into account the price and availability of the property or services from United States sources, that the public interest would be best served by the omission of the clause. If the clause is omitted based on a determination under clause (2), a written report shall be furnished to the Congress. SEC. 4. 150 U.S.C. 1434] (a) Every department and agency acting under authority of this Act shall, by March 15 of each year, report to Congress all such actions taken by the department or agency during the preceding calendar year. With respect to actions which involve actual or potential cost to the United States in excess of $50,000, the report shall (1) name the contractor; (2) state the actual cost or estimated potential cost involved; (3) describe the property or services involved; and (4) state further the circumstances justifying the action taken. With respect to (1), (2), (3), and (4), above, and under regulations prescribed by the President, there may be omitted any information the disclosure of which would be detrimental to the national security. (b) The Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate shall cause to be published in the Congressional Record all reports submitted pursuant to this section. |